Call for mayors' pay to be based on performance

Salga has called for the introduction of performance management and accountability for all councillors, including mayors and speakers. FILE IMAGE.

Salga has called for the introduction of performance management and accountability for all councillors, including mayors and speakers. FILE IMAGE.

Published Mar 7, 2022

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THE SA Local Government Association (Salga) wants mayors to be paid on the basis of performance.

This measure is among those the country's municipalities are proposing following Salga's national congress, which ended on Friday.

The organisation's five-year strategic plan for the period between 2022 and 2027 states that it wants a remuneration regime that is based on performance and accountability.

Salga has called for the introduction of performance management and accountability for all councillors, including mayors and speakers. It will lobby for a "responsive regime" based on performance for the allocation of budgets to municipalities by the national government.

The association also wants to lobby for responsive remuneration for staff in the country's 257 municipalities. According to Salga, the new remuneration would be based on performance and would be dependant on the municipality’s allocation from the National Treasury. The association elected the speaker of the Matjhabeng local municipality, Bheki Stofile.

His three deputies will be Buffalo City mayor Xola Phakati, Flora Maboa-Boltman, the mayor of the Govan Mbeki local municipality in Mpumalanga, as well as Cape Town councillor Xanthea Limberg.

Salga will also introduce local government service commissioners to swiftly investigate allegations levelled against councillors and enforce their code of conduct.

The formation has committed itself to fighting maladministration and corruption.

”It is when we remain vigilant and act decisively on instances of maladministration and corruption in our municipalities that confidence will be restored in our municipalities,” Salga said.

Municipalities have also pledged to fight corruption.

“To achieve the promise, Salga must plan, monitor, and evaluate local governments through digitisation, digitalisation and research,” the association said.

It admitted that it had not succeeded in automating and integrating systems for its organisation and the municipal environment to become an information hub through big data.

”Digital transformation support to local government will enable results-based planning processes, and will benchmark municipal performance according to size and capacity,” Salga said.

The association also faces the challenge of a lack of big data analytical skills, and its information hub does not support creative decision-making.

“Poor decision-making leads to low and declining growth, low investment, and high levels of inequality, poverty, and unemployment.

“Fundamentally, to generate growth and inclusive development within the context of the South African historical trajectory requires a distinctive form of integrated monitoring and evaluation systems to support decision-making through evidence-based capability to become a capable state, ” Salga said.

The absence of effective communication structures through digitalisation and digitisation leads to inefficiencies and missed growth opportunities, both internally and externally, according to Salga.

Salga has warned that failing to keep up with technological advances could lead to future service delivery failures.

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Municipalities